Cognitive Policy Works - A Vision for 21st Century Politics
Wondering why things have been so quiet here lately? It’s because Evan and I are working on taking things to the next level - building upon the ideas about community entrepreneurship explored here at hivethrive and our former work at the Rockridge Institute. The expanded focus of our new enterprise is the application of cognitive science to the daily operations of political and civic organizations.
We are working with former Rockridge colleagues (and others who’ve since joined our ranks) to bridge the gap between insightful knowledge about the mind, on the one hand, and the political world, on the other. A major thrust will be to restore trust in the political process by helping people understand the manipulative and deceptive techniques used to spread propaganda, reducing the effectiveness of these harmful techniques while empowering citizens with vital self-knowledge. Along the way, activists and advocates will gain valuable skills - and new professional practices - to enhance their efforts to build a more progressive world.
Want to learn more about it? Contact us directly with inquiries or sign up on our mailing list to receive updates as things progress.
And look for us in the upcoming issue of Environmental Forum, a publication of theEnvironmental Law Institute, where we explore the importance of cognitive policy for the environmental movement in the cover article.
A Million Minds Are Better Than One
The science section of today’s New York Times highlights an organization called InnoCentive that seeks to solve the most challenging problems by inviting a large number of people from different walks of life to participate in the process. The article, If You Have a Problem, Use Incentive to Ask Everyone, describes the process of crowdsourcing as a way to encourage innovation and outside-the-box-thinking:
The process, according to John Seely Brown, a theorist of information technology and former director of the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center, reflects “a huge shift in popular culture, from consuming to participating” enabled by the interactivity so characteristic of the Internet. It is sometimes called open-source science, taking the name from open-source software in which the source code, or original programming, is made public to encourage others to work on improving it.
The trick, of course, is to structure the process appropriately.
New Fundraising Companies Focus on Green Products
Grist points out an article in today’s Wall Street Journal on new companies that offer environmentally friendlier products for sale at fundraisers for schools and non-profit organizations.
As the article observes, selling products that are environmentally (or otherwise) harmful to raise funds for a good cause clearly sends a mixed message. This concern can be elevated in importance when it is children who are asked to sell products to raise funds for their school. Such concerns helped prompt the entrepreneurs cited in the article to find better alternatives to the standard fundraising offerings.
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